


Transparency

by bblamentation



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7708141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bblamentation/pseuds/bblamentation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been two months since Adam had to stand at the front of the courtroom and testify against his father but that doesn't mean he has rid himself of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Transparency

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EmiAliceinWonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmiAliceinWonderland/gifts).



> I've been meaning to write pynch for my best friend Emi who loves them so, and what better way than a prompt she chose: "Your eyes are red... were you crying?" -- I haven't written hurt/comfort in over a year but you can't escape it when your best friend throws it upon you.

Adam Parrish was tracing the same lines of the cracked paint on the ceiling. The small room was so enclosed Adam had already found the nooks and crannies that by finding that the paint had cracked further, or the wallpaper had dampened near the bathroom, or the door swung with a slightly different squeak, he could get a momentarily thrill. Not just the slight differences but the likeness of those walls was familiar. That familiarity of the walls he currently lived in was a comfort Adam relished and held tightly onto—almost latched onto it.

Except staring and tracing those lines was bringing home a strange sickening feeling. His stomach squeezed when he tried to breath and when he stopped breathing his throat burned and when he swallowed the sting in his eyes threatened to damage his cheeks.

The summoning letter opened for months on his desk was the surprising change to his nooks and crannies. Not that it was something he had not seen before but the content had changed context. Time changed it.

_Knock._

Really it was more of a tap than it was a lethargic knock but Adam heard it as often as the other strange noises in the church to know he _had_ to move from the mattress. Whether Adam opened the door himself or not his room would have a guest.

Adam answered the door exchanging a brief greeting with Ronan as he let his friend inside. Ronan walked his way easily into the room not needing to take any of the bare furniture in— but Adam wasn’t a piece of the furniture.

“Your eyes are red…” Ronan commented idly, staring at the lines Adam had just traced.

The burn in Adam’s throat was relit. Thankfully Ronan had the decency not to look at Adam as he spoke; neither of them could deal with that tension.

“Were you crying?”

Adam’s stomach dropped. Too often he forgot how transparent he was in front of Ronan. Those steel blue eyes always saw something whether you thought he was looking or not. Adam knew that; all too well did his skin know the feel of analytic frowns and quick glances. Why did he do that?

“It doesn’t matter if I have or not,” Adam shrugged, resisting the urge to rub his eyes.

“If you say so,” Ronan said. He trailed his gaze from the ceiling to Adam, staring at him with a slight frown but lax eyes. Although Ronan said no more Adam felt the weight of the gaze, felt the need to explain himself if only limited—Ronan would understand.

“My parents haven’t contacted me in two months,” Adam said by way of giving some reason.

Under Ronan’s glare (though he knew who it was aimed at), Adam swore his thoughts were pooling before him as though Ronan was the magician and he was scrying in Adam’s eyes.

But Ronan Lynch was the dreamer.

“I thought you might want to know but Chainsaw is outside chasing a cat,” Ronan said. “The cat’s no contender but it’s fun to watch.”

“That’s not why you came over,” Adam said.

Ronan shrugged, hands stuffed in his pockets, “No, but the loss of contact isn’t why you have red eyes.”

Transparency.

Adam swallowed.

Resisting the urge to look at the letter on the desk that should have been thrown away once the Aglionby boys had exited the courthouse together, Adam opted to watch Ronan play with one of the bands on his arms. Except in his resistance he must have glanced towards the desk as Ronan’s gaze was drifting that way.

“I want to watch,” Adam said a little too quickly.

Ronan paid him no attention and grabbed the old letter. Neither of the boys said anything: not to one another and not even to themselves. They stared at the brown letter in Ronan’s hand knowing the outdate summons— a date stamped was a time gone.

Adam opened his mouth but before he could force words, Ronan was heading out of the room and outside. Adam quickly headed after him into the evening sky. He could only watch as Ronan fished a lighter from his jeans stalking away from him.

If Ronan had not moved to stand away from the church building holding a lighter and a letter in his hand, then Adam would have warmed at the sight of Chainsaw cocking her head at the hissing cat, but the cat’s hisses were mixing with his whirring head that the letter was now hissing loudly, in his only good ear, at the threatening lighter and the cat behind them was silent.

Adam tested, “Ronan.” His throat was burning.

Ronan said, “Adam.” His eyes were steel.

They both waited for the other to move, testing the air between them.

It broke when Ronan’s shoulders relaxed and he took a step forward holding the lighter towards Adam. “Do it.”

Taking the lighter was not the same as the same as being able to accept what Ronan was giving him. He did not need to flick the lighter to know it was from one of Ronan’s dreams.

As the seconds rolled by the letter remained in Ronan’s hand unburned and still trapped in time. Adam could only stare, his gaze only moving between the letter and the lighter in his hand. In the long pause, Ronan reached for Adam’s hand wrapping warm fingers round his. A brief image of Ronan driving through town leaving sleep behind was left with Adam.

Adam glanced up to meet Ronan’s gaze and was caught by familiar blue. Caught by them, Adam could see Ronan was intent for Adam to let go. Adam was too; after all, hadn’t the hardest bit been in the courthouse?

Ronan’s finger helped Adam flick the lighter’s switch. “We already went to court. You already testified. Your father can’t come in a two-mile radius of you breathing let alone touch you.” Ronan stated. His words were low and harsh but the soft touches of his fingers wrapped round his hand was comfort. Ronan gave a comfortable warmth to Adam who had only felt burns the whole evening. It was Ronan’s finger on his on the switch that made the burning the letter easy.

Adam was burning the letter. Ronan was helping.

It took barely half a minute for the letter to burn and drop onto the stony gravel. Ronan’s feet rid potential hazards but his hand stayed on Adam’s for just a moment longer. Their hands were warmth with comfort and a familiarity of something not quite their usual touches. Adam’s glance to Ronan’s hardened face broke the touch but the departing of their hands was more of a loss of contact than a loss of warmth or comfort.

Adam flicked the lighter once more as if to test that the burned letter on the ground had been from him, before giving it back to Ronan.

Silence continued between them but Adam was sure his appreciated thanks was not lost to Ronan, not when those eyes saw more of him than he wanted. Adam could only thank that that transparency was a two-way thing between them.

“Why did you come over?” Adam asked, though he half-expected the honest answer that came after the pause.

“To see you.”


End file.
